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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Making of a Boy Mom: Brothers

I would say very few things prepared me for being a boy mom more than growing up as the big sister to two brothers. (And a little sister, but that's another post for another day.)

I was an only child for 6 years, and then Briley made me a big sister for the first time.

Briley has always been the most laid back of all us.He's also probably one of the jolliest people I know.

Briley is also very friendly and can talk to a wall if need be. We lost him at the beach twice when he was little and he was found both times with a new friend, playing and having a great time. He's still like that today, he is always meeting new people and up for anything. Briley was the kind of little brother you hope for, but don't expect. He did whatever I said, he was (and still can be) very thoughtful & sweet, and never tried terrorizing/scaring me. He was my best buddy, my first 'student' and real life baby doll. It was great!

3 years later, Gabe came along. Mom had the idea that I could be present for his birth since he would be delivered by C-section, and I happily obliged. I should mention that my mom (Oma) is a very laid back mom, and person in general. (Where Briley gets it from, I'm sure.) She handed over her hours old baby to her 9 year old to feed some sugar water. When this was happening, my little 9 year old self would've been so offended if anyone would've thought me any less than capable of caring for a new baby! As a mom, now, I can't imagine. I was very different (and still am in many ways) as a newborn mom than my own mama was. However, this was baby #3 so I guess she just wanted to rest while she could.

So, Gabe. When the 2nd brother entered the picture, the dynamics changed. Gabe was a 180 from Briley. Still is. Gabe marches to the beat of his own drum; if it suited him to play whatever Briley or I were playing, he would play along. If he had something else to do, leave him alone. If you've seen Old Yeller, you know Arlis. Well, Gabe is our Arlis.Gabe pretty much lived (lives) outside.

And he was (still is) king of the critters. To be such a boy, he really cares about clothes. Mama used to put a limit on how many outfits he could wear in a day.Because depending on his choice of activity, he would need different attire. For instance, if he was playing rodeo, he needed boots, jeans, and a long sleeved button down. But if he was going fishing, he needed shorts with pockets and a t shirt. Both of those activities could be completed in two hours time, and then those outfits would be 'dirty,' so he would then need another change of clothes. Gabe was really into rodeos, horses, and tying things up. He would put a rope on anything and call it a horse. Me, being a genius once, let Gabe talk me into showing me how good he could tie knots in a rope. So I let him tie me to the stairs, and then he left me there and told me to try to get out. I couldn't.

Both of my brothers have always enjoyed critters. Snakes, turtles, hamsters, birds, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, you name it, we've had it. I'm an animal lover of the furry, four-legged kind. My mom knows no boundaries in this area and she kind of ignored my dad's grumblings about it since forever.

Needless to say, we've had no less than 4 snakes on the loose in our house, non poisonous, might I add. My brothers would just 'forget' to shut the door. And once, Gabe thought the snake wasn't getting enough air, so he cut a whole in the mesh screen that covered the top. Not once, but twice, the runaway snakes were found in my room. I also woke up to heavy feeling on my stomach, opened my eyes, and saw the snake just laying there. Then I heard giggling and knew it was just my brothers, not my bad luck. Yeah so, snakes don't really bother me. I'm not one to just want to hold one or pick one up, but being around one is okay.

Brother Story: My grandma used to have a fish pond with huge (expensive) coy fish. Every time we went over there Gabe would ask if he could get in and catch one. He was told to never even think about it. Somehow, one day, both Briley and Gabe were left unattended outside at her house for a good while. Then Briley came marching in and announced, Gabe just paid me a dollar! My grandma, wondering what in the world sparked such a thoughtful gesture from G, asked Briley why Gabe had done that. Briley said, "Because I told him I wouldn't tell on him for catching your fish if he paid me a dollar."

I wouldn't change a thing about either one of them. They both have such very different personalities, but very sweet hearts, too. (I always knew that about Briley, but Bo has taught me that about G.) Growing up these two was never dull, hardly quiet, but a lot of fun, too. Food fights, hide and seek, Christmas Eve, and life in general wouldn't have been what it was without them.